The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-27
THE FAITH CURING CRAZE
CHIEFLY BENEFICIAL WHEN THE
PATIENT is NOT VERY SICK.


Woman Who Was Made Insane by
the Healers-Talks with Some Physi-
clans on the Subject.
From the Ne,O York Sun.
Prof William Fl. Thomson of the New
York University and of the Bellevue and
Roosevelt hospitals consulting staff is also
writer on Biblical topics, and every Sun
day afternoon he conducts Bible class for
adults in Association Hall Prof Thomson
said yesterday regarding the death by pneu-
monia of Mrs. Robbins in Remsen street,
Brooklyn, on Wednesday after treatment
by the faith cure:
''In any infiammatory disease, such as
pneumonia. believe that all the faith-cure
professors in the world would do a patient
no good. Faith goes good ways in the
treatment of invalids, however, but
seldom in any but chronic cases. If a child
of mine should have pneumonia and L
should call in no scientifically trained ply
sician and the disease should result as it did
In Mrs. Remsen's case l should say, as DR..
Spier did of that case, that whoever had
charge few days before the death of the
patient was responsible for the death
There are two kinds of Diseases Dr.
Thomson continued, ''acute and chronic.
Acute diseases last about six weeks, and
faith has little to do with their cure. have
known such disease to be cured, in the
patients estimation, by writing prescrip-
tion or some text or other on a yellow pa
per and burning it, I've known such dis
eases to be cured by faith cure, but the pa
tents would probably have got we'll any
way. IL is a question of strength of con-
sti6ution of the patient. Consequently, in
healing acute diseases the faith cure is not
test. In curing chronic diseases lies the test
of healing, and science only has been found
TO be reliable
''In fact, the faith cure is craze like the
blue glass craze and the meat diet craze.
Three of the meat diet patients came to my
office, one day recently, nearly dead by be-
ing crammed with meat. These crazes last
about eighteen months each, and we are in
the height of the faith cure craze now
There seems to be hotbed of faith cure
disciples in Brooklyn. l could mention the
names of many wealthy families there who
are firm believers in it Dr.. Spier has co l.
suited me several times with reference tc
patients who were brought low by faith
cure professors before his services were re
qured. One case is especially interesting
and very sad. A young lady, the daughter
of a wealthy man, became a convert to the
faith cure, and, indeed, her parents were
quite bitten by 1t, too; so, when the young
ton and learn the practice of faith cure in
order that she might be the means of good
to others, her parents did not object. After
attending the lectures of a well-known in
Structor III the cure in Boston, for a time
the young lady became insane She was
brought back to New York, and it is very
doubtful if she will ever recover her mind.
She seemed strong when she started from
home, and | have not the slightest doubu
that the peculiar excitement was the cause
of her insanity.
1T is said" added Dr. Thomson, ''that
these practitioners of the faith cure base
their belief on the Scriptures, that God will
answer prayers by granting the desires of
the petitioner. But st. Paul tells us that he
prayed fervently that his physical trouble
might be removed, and it was not. Per-
haps the faith cure people would say that
their prayers would be OF more avail than
Paul's. That is tn. logic of their position
Prayer is answered in Gods own way
A well-known writer on medical subjects
and practicing physician in this city said
last evening:
In England a sect or society calling itself
by some such name as the Healing Ba d
started on a career of healing by prayer
five or six years ago, but several deaths took
place under their treatment, and the authori-
ties brought the law to bear on the band and
broke it up. As this is "a freer country, the
art is cult L. with greater mpunity.
There is L, doubt of the Influence Of the
mini over the body especially in nervous
ailments. Ringing dentists bell has cured
many a tooth 'che. Excessive fear pro-
duces convulsions in some persons | mad
patient once suffering from chronic COM
plant, and he was persuaded, before he came
20 me, of course, that if he w-uld send a
lock Of his hair to faith cure professor he
would be prayed for aud would he cured
a hnl4 for
every effort to be better, but he relapsed.
] knew certain old fellow some years ago
an this town who practiced something like
the faith cure, ard he hired q lot of men to
come with crutches and false complaints TO
his lectures and prayer meeting. When he
called on them to believe they were well
and to throw down their crutcheS. The
frauds did so, and the people marveled great
iy;
There was a curious instance of what
some people would call divine interposition
IN Gen. Grants case" continued the physi-
clan. ''Gen. Grant was very low at one
time, and when he believed he was diving
and his family were gathered around the
Generals bed, DR.. Shradv injected some
brandy into the Generals arm. while the
Rev. j. p. Newman prayed. The General
revived, and lived for several weeks Dr.
Newman insisted that the relief was mirac-
ulous. DR.. Shrady, in discussing the ques-
ton with DR. Newman, insisted that it was
the brandy. | think it was the brandy N.Y.
self. The utmost that faith can do for a
man is TO give nature her own way and TO
use the best human skill possible"
DR.. Janeway said be had never run afoul
of any of the faith cures in his practice.
There was a certain principle underlying
their practice, he said, which was sound.
The mind certainly did influence the body
largely, and in some cases the installation in
the mind of the patient of a confidence in
ultimate recovery reacted favorably on the
bodily condition, and did considerable to aid
medication.
But" be added, ''these cases are COM
paratively. few. The entire question hinges
upon simnle doctrine, and that is, com
mon sense"
Dr. lanlly Blackwell, President of the
Wonlan's Medical College, thought THAT in
some cases of weak or foolish-minded peo-
pie the faith curers were liable to cause
great harm. The regular physician met few
cases of this in practice She had had in
her long practice but one. A woman with
a cancer had been apparently benefited by
the faith curers. A year later, however
the cancer killed her. Some way, she
thought, ought to be devised by which The
law could touch persons who persuaded snf-
ferers to forego medical attendance.
ABOUT PIANOS.
H.